Threat of Immigration Raid Turns Chicago Hub Into Ghost Town
Story by Miranda Davis, Alicia A. Caldwell and Daniela Sirtori • 14h
(Bloomberg) -- The second busiest retail corridor in Chicago is typically a bustling area dotted with taquerias and Mexican grocery stores in the southwestern part of the city. By Monday afternoon it had turned into a ghost town.
Word had gotten out over the weekend that the city could be the target of potential immigration raids after President Donald Trump took office, spreading anxiety among residents and business owners alike. Trump’s inauguration speech and boasts of cracking down on migrants only heightened the fear, while the frigid weather also kept people indoors.
Foot traffic at the 2-mile stretch of 26th Street in the Little Village neighborhood plunged — by some measures, the decline had hit the 50%-mark, according to Jennifer Aguilar, who heads the local chamber of commerce and spoke to a number of the 400 or so businesses in the area. On Tuesday morning, a number of shops were simply closed.
“It’s going to be disastrous,” Aguilar said in an interview on Monday. “If raids happen and people are too afraid to go out, it’s going to be an impact that’s going to last for years.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/threat-of-immigration-raid-turns-chicago-hub-into-ghost-town/ar-AA1xAM5I?ocid=widgetonlockscreen&cvid=b1a652734c7d488984467fe12499ccf8&ei=54
